Page 44 of He Saved My Boy
Leaning on his mom, Teagan leans in and kisses his head. “Just close your eyes if you don’t want to watch, Con. I’m right here.”
Taking a deep breath, she reaches an arm around him, being careful to stay out of my way. The minute I reach for Connor’s arm, I see his eyes close as well as hers. I work quickly to remove the pins and place them on the tray Miss Carol has ready for me. Taking a moment, I clean the wounds, then bandage them. The minute I have them covered, I announce to the room. “All done.”
It melts my heart to hear both Connor and Teagan exhale heavily as one. Then Connor slowly opens his eyes, looks to his elbow, and winces as he tries to move it. “Ouch.”
Bending down so I can get eye level with Connor, I pat him on his shoulder. “Sorry, buddy, it might hurt for a while. Your muscles have been stuck in that position for a long time, and it’s kind of like putting them in the freezer. They’re frozen stuck. I’ll show you some exercises you can do when you feel up for it.”
He nods in understanding, so I continue. “For the next week or so, if anything hurts too bad, just stop.”
Nods come from each of them in understanding.
“You can start by making small movements. There will be some stiffness, so it might not be comfortable, but that’s okay. But if there’s a lot of pain, then listen to your body and stop.”
Turning to Teagan, I ask, “Do you have a particular doctor you’d like, or can I refer you to one here at the outpatient clinic?”
“Here is fine.”
“Well, then,” I sigh, not quite ready for my time with her to end, “we’re all set.”
But there’s no reason to prolong this appointment.
Normally, this is my cue to say it was great meeting them, and I remind them I’m here if they need anything in the future, but I can’t bring myself to tell Connor I’ll likely never see him again, when if I have it my way, this won’t be the end.
“Thank you,” Teagan says as she stands.
It’s then I remember Connor’s gift in my office, so I turn to Miss Carol. “I’ll grab their discharge paperwork and be right back. I forgot something for Connor.”
Miss Carol looks at me as if I’m crazy, but I don’t care. Before anyone can say anything, I rush from the room. My office is on the other side of the clinic, so I’m breathless by the time I return.
The moment I return to the room, Connor’s eyes light up as he jumps to his feet. “Chase!”
“I thought you might like him. He’s been hanging out in my office, but I thought you might want to take him home with you. He’s your favorite, right?”
Connor looks from me to his mom in surprise. “Can I?”
It’s sweet how he asks his mom for permission.
She nods her approval, and Connor practically springs out of his shoes in my direction. The moment I hand it over, he hugs it with his good arm fiercely.
This is just one of the many reasons I love my job. Putting smiles back on patients’ faces is priceless. Typically, I gift each of my younger children stuffed animals or toys, but usually, they’re a generic stuffed animal to help them through their trauma.
Chase was bought especially for Connor, courtesy of my one-click shopping. I have an entire set of thePaw Patrolcast at Derek’s house, knowing they’ll eventually all go to Connor.
“What do you say, Connor?”
“Thank you, Dr. Fallon. I love it!”
“Good. Now you take care of your mom and don’t give her any more heart attacks and take it easy for a while.”
Nodding profusely, Connor’s grin is infectious. “M’kay.”
To Teagan, I tilt my head. “Congratulations, Mom. We made it through this!”
The moment Connorleaves with my mom, I’m on pins and needles, waiting for Davis to arrive. He texts to say he’s on his way, but I might wear a hole in my hardwood floors if he doesn’t show up soon.
It’s been over two months since we’ve been together and even though we’ve spoken each day for the last month, a part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Apart from having to be apart so there won’t be an ethics violation, he just feels too good to be true. What if we’ve built up all this hype but when we see each other regularly, it all fizzles out?
Even though I’ve been waiting for it, the minute the doorbell rings, I still jump out of my skin, as I’ve been stuck in my head for too long.
